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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Faith and Kindness

Kindness.
It is a value I cherish.

Faith.
"Is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"

To me, to be kind and have faith in others, is a virtue.

Last Thursday, I received such a thoughtful gift from a friend I've never met. Her name, well, it's just about the coolest, most amazingly awesome name ever...Maria :)
I "met" Maria a few weeks after starting my blog, back in April. I remember where I was when my phone beeped, letting me know I had an email. It was a comment from her, on one of my posts. She let me know I wasn't alone. That she too had known the pain of loss after loss after loss. I was in Target (where else), ironically, in the baby section, looking for a gift for a friend's new baby. I remember pulling up Maria's story on my phone as soon as I got to my car. And since, I have come to know the sweet and faithful woman that she is.

After reading many, many infertility and loss blogs over the past half year, I have learned A LOT. And if there is one thing I can say...we are all in this together. We all may not have the same exact stories, yet all of us are working towards the same thing. We all hope and pray for that same miracle at the end of it all.

Maria has two beautiful sons. Truly adorable little boys. Don't believe me, wait until you check out her page. But it wasn't an easy road. She endured 6 miscarriages in a row after the birth of her first son, Gavin. After time, much hope and prayers, she was blessed with her second son, Joey. Maria devotes herself 110% to her family and two boys. Something I admire so greatly. She shares so much of herself in her blog. Every post, I gain insight. She has a way of putting things into perspective; displaying what truly matters in life. I find myself telling her that often, in my comments on her page.

And uses her knowledge, if even of heartbreaking matters, to help others.
Have a pregnancy or fertility related question or answer...Check out her new site anytime - http://www.ttcquestions.com/

What matters most to me each day is - love, hope, trust, kindness, and faith (and taco bell. heyyyy, "the bell" hasn't made an appearance in quite a few posts. cut me some slack.)

Maria lives such a faithful life. A life full of love. She trusts. She hopes. She is kind.
*and she enjoys the occasional taco bell run :)

And I am so blessed to have met her.

When opening my gift, my eyes lit up and teared up as I read her beautiful card.
In the box were two cookie cutters and a wonderful book.
I smiled so big at the first cookie cutter.
A kitty cat. Does she know this crazy cat lady, or what?!
I had to show Muffin, who by the way, was and still is, loving the box they were shipped in. Just see for yourself.

I can't wait to make and decorate some crazy cat lady cookies! :)

The second cutter...
Well, like I said to Maria in her thank you message, "I had no idea at first, what the next cutter was. I thought maybe it was a cat standing up. Then Steve said, Uhhh, Maria it's Pennsylvania." *Steve smirks and shakes head*
Yea, geography still isn't my subject. HAHAHA
Maria laughed when I told her and said, "Wow, that is one malformed cat!!"
Let me try to show you and Maria what I saw...
Here is the cutter.

And here is what my brain processed...

Come on, you know you guys see it too!!?! LOL

This book was full of wonderful and amazing stories of hope and faith. True stories of women who trusted in God and got their miracles, against all odds. I was flattered that Maria sent me her own copy. And comforted when the words I read, that touched me most, were already highlighted as her favorites. I remember reading this quote on a post of hers months ago. It is a beautiful one that I need to repeat to myself in times of despair...
"Many people plant words in their lives like seeds being planted in the ground. But instead of planting seeds of hope and faith, they plants seeds of doubt and bitterness"

Though the big message I gained from this book may seem "obvious", it touched me and added more hope and faith...something I can never have too much of.
With all of life's doubts and obstacles, at the end of the day, there is always faith. And without faith, I wouldn't be able to keep on truckin'.
As the book states from the beginning, "God doesn't change"

Muffin (thoroughly enjoying the packing from the box) and I just have one more thing to say...

Thank you so very much, Maria. Where you may have thought it was just a "small" gift. It was so much GREATER than that.

Ok, first I have to get my laugh out, because that cookie cutter soooooo doesn't look like a cat! Hahhahahahahahha the paint version made me wake up the whole house! Hahhaahhahahahahahaha!

What a sweet and thoughtful gift from your friend. I love that she sent u the cookie cutters and the beautiful book. If there are two things I have never lost sight of, it's my faith and prayer. Whether it is for my struggles or others. Just look at Diana!!! She prayed and even prayed to St. Gerarard like I did!

This is such a beautiful post, and nothing is sweeter than receiving something from a new friend you've never met.

Maybe just maybe I might be able to understand (with help of your artistic skills) why you thought it was a cat.... Or maybe not... ;) lol Your too cute and funny cats on the brain for sure!This was a nice sweet post to start my morning with :)

I loved the cookie cutters!!! Hahaha ur so funny :) I suck at geography too! I know my state of Texas though! Lol

I love this post and I love that u talk about faith. Faith is so powerful. I don't want to talk religion but honestly, havin faith DOES help. I would be lost without it. Hoping your days are going great. Thinking and praying for ya sista!

You are so sweet and deserve to have as many kitty cutters as the cookie animal control will allow. I thank you for being you and being so supportive. It shouldn't, but it amazes me how God draws these connections between people. A reason, A season, or a lifetime. I don't know which one yet, but I am thrilled that He made our paths cross!

Hello my beautiful friend! Hope u had an awesome Bday!!!! I ate TacoBell just for u last night :) I hope it was a fabulous one but I'm pretty sure it was and u were spoiled all day by Steve :) I'm off tomorrow so I'll be sending you a little something ... (couldn't do it this weekend like I had planned) yeaaaaa didn't u know that's how it's done in Texas?? We mail things out late! Hahaha.

Hi All! My name is Maria. I'm 33 years old and live in Pennsylvania with my husband and daughter, Piper. I've found throughout the years that life is truly unpredictable...you've got to roll with the punches, live your life and love your life no matter what tries to stand in your way. I'm learning new lessons every day and am thankful for all I have been given.
Email @ www.muffinmarino918@gmail.com